KING DAY
Warm welcome gives
lesson to youngsters
My children and I decided to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day at the King Center.
We later decided to walk by Ebenezer Baptist Church so that we could see where the day’s service was taking place. Though we had on casual clothes and told the ushers we were dressed inappropriately, they escorted us inside and encouraged us to sit. We snuck up to the balcony — and immediately felt the passion in the room. The speakers were powerful, and the music was transcendent.
After the service, my children commented that Dr. King would have been proud that the ushers didn’t shun us due to appearance; they welcomed us. It was such a simple gesture, but it made a huge impact on my children, who were able to experience Dr. King’s legacy firsthand.
ALLYSON GEVERTZ, ATLANTA
ENVIRONMENT
Climate change calls
for simple solution
Your Jan. 22 article, “Obama signals climate change push” (News), suggests President Obama, having faced legislative gridlock on climate change, may use tools at his disposal — for example, the EPA. Legislative gridlock is nothing new, but grows worse as Congress chronically abuses rules like the filibuster to warp clear Constitutional intent. Our government was meant to move slowly, but not this slowly.
Very simple new ideas, however, do stand a chance of passage, given shifting popular attitudes. A revenue-neutral carbon tax is a simple, market-based solution that puts immediate pressure on our abuse of oil and natural gas. A carbon tax also offers a simple way to begin charging oil companies for damage to the environment.
KYLE SAGER, CUMMING
STUDENT SAFETY
Seriously, how could
teachers bear arms?
David Kopel promotes arming teachers (“Let teachers carry guns to protect their students,” Opinion, Jan. 19) but fails to expound on how a teacher might pack heat with any subtlety. Should they wear a belt holster? A shoulder holster? Should they stick a pistol in their stocking? Back pocket? Should they leave it in the desk drawer (locked up, of course, because you can’t leave a loaded pistol available for grabs in a room full of kids)? Or maybe should they just hang it on a hook by the door? Just managing a gat in a classroom would seem to take the edge off of the real reason you’re there: teaching.
As a former teacher, I can’t imagine any of this. Few teachers are realistically prepared to engage in a standoff with a psycho. None of this says much for a civilized society.
BOB EBERWEIN, ATLANTA
PLAYOFFS
‘49er fan says thanks
for Atlanta hospitality
Thank you, Atlanta for your warm, southern hospitality toward 49er fans during the extraordinary playoff game, a tough-fought battle that could have gone either way.
The Falcon fans knew the game and gave great support to their team — yet exhibited fine sportsmanship toward visiting fans throughout. Congratulations to everyone. We are all winners.
MICHAEL VERLANDER, SAN FRANCISCO
